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Arts & Life
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- Written by: Ted Kooser
April Lindner is a poet living in Pennsylvania who has written a number of fine poems about parenting. Here’s an example that shows us just one of the many hazards of raising a child.
Dog Bite
The worst for him was his friend turned wolf,
and the blood that splattered as he ran. The worst
for us: the hospital, his upper lip tugged back
to show the gash—the flesh halved deeply,
cleanly—while I hold him for the needle
that rubs pain out. He submits
to the quick stitch, the thread black
against pink skin, calm now he sees
the doctor can be trusted, his voice
soothing, his face clean shaven,
the clues that signal kindness to a child.
He’s worried, though, about his pet
who didn’t mean it, Mom. His voice is flat.
He knows the months he’s tried to woo this dog
were over when it leapt for his throat
and caught his mouth. The scars, at least,
will be invisible. At home, he’ll sleep,
big boy between his parents, till he’s sure
no beast will tear into his dreams. And we
will want him there, our bodies makeshift walls.
We who led the stranger to our home,
fixed him a bowl, taught him to sleep
under our blankets, we who taught our son
to rub the muzzle that sheathes the teeth.
American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright 2012 by April Lindner from her most recent book of poems,This Bed Our Bodies Shaped, Able Muse Press, 2012. Poem reprinted by permission of April Lindner and the publisher. Introduction copyright 2013 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
With modern technology offering so many new ways to view and enjoy entertainment content previously confined to a television set, it’s no wonder that streaming media companies like Hulu and Netflix have become major players in the TV game.
Not that many years ago, Hulu began to offer a user-friendly model for enjoying TV series running on other networks.
As Acting Chief Executive Officer Andy Forssell told TV critics recently, Hulu “was all about last night’s TV.” The program you missed on FOX or NBC could be seen the next day.
Popular for current and vintage TV shows, Hulu now finds itself up against cable providers offering “Video on Demand,” and so Hulu started to look for opportunities to offer programs, even from other countries, that have been missing from traditional television.
Forssell observed that Hulu is “really not a network, we’re not a studio, we are a distributor at heart,” and that Hulu is all about trying to “connect people with content they love, no matter where it comes from.”
However Hulu wishes to define itself, the obvious thrust of its streaming video content is to focus on upcoming original programs, of which there are ten shows to roll out the rest of this year during the major networks’ customary fall season.
First out of the block this summer is “The Awesomes,” an animated show for adults that combines the thrills of comic book storytelling with the irreverent comedy that springs from the minds of Seth Meyers (“Saturday Night Live”) and Michael Shoemaker (“Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”).
Seth Meyers gives voice to Prock, the son of America’s greatest superhero, who wants to follow in his father’s footsteps but is utterly unqualified for the job.
With the help of the dimwitted Muscleman (Ike Barinholtz), Prock puts together a team of D-list superheroes, trying to keep federal funding for his outfit.
“The Awesomes,” though it has its moments of comic amusement, is not particularly awesome, but that’s because there’s not enough inspired lunacy to distinguish this series from the standard animated superhero fare found on any number of similar shows on cable channels.
There’s an argument to be made that there is nothing original on TV anymore. Everything is derivative, or so it often seems.
A case in point is Hulu’s “Quick Draw,” a comedic half-hour western set in 1875 that centers on a Harvard-educated sheriff and his quest to introduce the emerging science of forensics to an unruly Kansas town.
In the early days of the FOX network, a series called “The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.” starred Bruce Campbell as a Harvard-educated lawyer-turned-bounty hunter who was hired to capture an outlaw’s gang. Humor was a big part of the show.
Similarly, “Quick Draw” is campy and cheeky, with John Lehr’s Sheriff Hoyle constantly reminding the unimpressed yokels that he was educated at an elite school. He has no compunction about feeling intellectually superior, boasting that he graduated 327th in his class.
The citizens of Great Bend, Kansas include the brassy blonde owner (Allison Dunbar) of the town’s brothel, who runs an odds-making wager line on when the new sheriff will meet an untimely death.
Sheriff Hoyle also boasts of getting a B-plus in sharp shooting at Harvard, which he says is an actually an A anywhere else. Meanwhile, he’s assisted by reluctant Deputy Eli (Nick Brown) to hunt down Cole Younger and his murderous gang.
Have you ever wondered about the person inside a mascot’s uniform, whether at a high school game or in pro sports? Well, later this fall, “Behind the Mask” takes viewers on a behind-the-scenes adventure into the colorful world of sports mascots.
The series focuses on four mascots: Lebanon High School’s Rooty the Cedar Tree, UNLV’s Hey Reb, minor league hockey mascot Tux the Penguin, and NBA mascot Bango of the Milwaukee Bucks.
“Behind the Mask” tells the moving stories of these real-life Clark Kents, capturing their highs and lows, both inside the suit at games and outside the uniform at home and regular life. The tales are funny, entertaining and at times poignant.
A lot of Hulu’s original programming comes from the United Kingdom. One show produced by the BBC that looks very promising is “The Wrong Mans,” centered on two lowly office workers caught up in a deadly criminal conspiracy. By the way, it is a comedy with a twisted sensibility.
Part of the appeal of this show is that one of the main characters is played by James Corden, a truly gifted comedian. I had the great pleasure of seeing him as the leading man in the Broadway show “One Man, Two Guvnors,” arguably one of the funniest stage productions ever. Corden won the Tony Award for best actor in that show.
In “The Wrong Mans,” Mathew Baynton’s Sam discovers a ringing phone at the scene of a horrific car crash. Answering the phone turns his world upside down, as he and Phil (Corden) soon realize it’s up to them to save the day.
Sam and Phil are in the wrong place at the wrong time, with the wrong skills to get involved in sleuthing. Now you know why the show is called “The Wrong Mans,” a comedy that seems ever so right.
Several other new programs are on the horizon for Hulu. “Mother Up!” stars Eva Longoria as a disgraced former music exec who transitions from the towers of Manhattan to the carpool lane of suburbia.
I’d like to tell you more about “Mother Up!” and a slew of other new series, but Hulu has not yet provided screeners for review. Nevertheless, there may be a few good reasons to check out Hulu for more than just the next-day airing of TV programs.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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- Written by: Editor
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Rising Stars Music Showcase is a multi-musician, multi-genre competition in which musicians from Lake and Mendocino counties will be competing for prizes and supporting local area non-profits.
Presented by 94.5 K-Wine, City of Light Recording and Sound, Max 93.5 and Mendo Lake Credit Union, this sixth annual event is held to benefit multiple local charities.
The daylong event on Oct. 5 will be held at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds from noon to midnight.
Rising Stars will encompass as many musical genres as possible showcasing the often-unheard talents of musicians of all ages.
Solo musicians and group musicians from all genres are encouraged to enter the competition.
Bands from all genres are encouraged to enter this competition by going to the Web site at http://www.risingstarscompetition.com and submitting their entry.
Bands will be placed in divisions according to their genre of music and be judged on an individual basis with each judge scoring individual acts on stage performance and presence, talent and audience reaction. Prizes will be awarded to the winners in each genre plus winners overall.
Prizes that have been donated this far include recording studio time at City Of Light Recording and Sound, a mastered live performance CD from Golden Ratio Recording, a Limo Ride from Pure Comfort Limousine along with the coveted Star Awards created by Cash Auto Recycling and Scrap.
The deadline for entry is Sept. 5 but due to the limited amount of spots in each genre, musicians are encouraged to apply early.
Being a family-friendly event, Rising Stars is an opportunity for local organizations and businesses to get exposure.
Nonprofits and businesses alike are welcomed to rent booth space at this popular event. Booths can be anything from selling items to participatory games or information. Vendors must sign up by Sept. 5.
This showcase of talent is an effort to promote awareness of all of the musical talent in the area along with helping community organizations.
Musicians, businesses and organizations are encouraged to participate in some way to help keep the music alive and help keep vital services for those in need.
Information can be obtained at the Web site, through email or through calling Mary Chadwick at 707-272-6514.
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- Written by: Editor
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – This coming September, for the first time in more than six years, there will be no Second Sunday Cinema.
Due to a serious accident in the family, Shannon Tolson, SSC's coordinator, will need to focus her time and energy on supporting and helping the healing process of her life partner, Jim, who recently fell off his roof and is hospitalized.
Stay tuned for further information as to if and when SSC will resume.